Famed evangelist Billy Graham is to publish his last book next month – and it's a frank look at the Bible's teachings about hell.
Now aged 96 and in poor health, Graham no longer gives interviews and has given up preaching, undertaking his last crusade 10 years ago.
However, after he completed the manuscript for The Reason for My Hope: Salvation (2013), he immediately began drafting another book on the subject of eternity.
He believes that while our culture shows an interest in the afterlife, few people take it seriously enough to think about where they will spend 'forever'.
Where I Am: Heaven, Eternity, and Our Life Beyond is the book Graham considers to be his last. In it, he goes through every book of the Bible exploring what each says about heaven and hell.
Graham says in the introduction to the book: "Hell is not an idea, a figment of the imagination, or the setting for a horror movie. It is the hideous reality that awaits those who refuse to let God come into their lies and make them new creations, filled with His forgiveness and love."
He continues: "Some believe they will automatically walk into heaven when this earth life is over because God is love. That would negate the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Don't be deceived, for God is not mocked. God is also a God of justice and righteousness. He is not preparing a place in Heaven for unrepentant sinners."
He acknowledges that hell is a "repulsive" doctrine to many, but says that Jesus taught it and that it would be wrong to overlook it.
The book looks at the themes of heaven and hell throughout scripture. Each book is covered, with titles such as Eternal Judgment: Choose Life (Deuteronomy), Mercy Endures Forever: Retaliate or Rebuild (Ezra) and Everlasting Love: Tears that Speak (Jeremiah). The last chapter, on Revelation, is entitled The King's Eternal Reign: The Cradle, the Cross, the Crown.
Graham says that "Hell has been cloaked in folklore and disguised in fiction for so long that many people deny the reality of such a place." He denies that biblical descriptions of hell are symbolic, concluding "It is high time that the true church of Jesus Christ declares to the world the promises God gives in His Word on how to get to Heaven and how to avoid Hell."
